Ryukyu islands
| Nansei-shotō (南西諸島?, Southwest Islands) Ryūkyū-shotō (琉球諸島?, Ryukyu Islands) Ruuchuu (琉球/ルーチュー?, Okinawan language) |
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Location of Ryukyu Islands
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| Geography | |
| Location | On the boundary between the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea |
| Coordinates | 26°30′N 128°00′E / 26.5°N 128°ECoordinates: 26°30′N 128°00′E / 26.5°N 128°E |
| Total islands | 100+ |
| Major islands |
Amami Ōshima Okinawa Island |
| Area | 4,642.11 km2 (1,792.33 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,936 m (6,352 ft) |
| Highest point | Mt. Miyanoura-dake |
| Administration | |
| Prefecture |
 Kagoshima Prefecture Okinawa Prefecture
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| Demographics | |
| Demonym | Ryukyuans |
| Population | 1,550,161 (2005) |
| Pop. density | 333.93 /km2 (864.87 /sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups |
Ryukyuan Japanese |
The Ryukyu Islands (琉球諸島 Ryūkyū-shotō?, Japanese pronunciation: [ɾju͍ːkju͍], English /riˈuːkjuː/), known in Japanese as the Nansei Islands (南西諸島 Nansei-shotō?, lit. "Southwest Islands") and also known as the Ryukyu Arc (琉球弧 Ryūkyū-ko?), are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonaguni the southernmost. The larger are mostly high islands and the smaller ones are mostly coral islands. The largest of the islands is Okinawa.
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